


The Force Awakens: Another Point of View

by BarbaraFett



Series: The Continuing Adventures of Anakin Skywalker, Guardian Spirit [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Destiny, F/M, Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Force Ghost Obi-Wan Kenobi, Force Ghosts, Forgiveness, Friendship, Gen, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-21 23:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8265056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarbaraFett/pseuds/BarbaraFett
Summary: ForceGhost!Anakin angsts about observes and reacts to the events of Episode VII. (This is the first angstfic I've ever written, and it's probably not all that angsty.)





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Untitled Fanart Post](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/233821) by quwhy-gon.tumblr.com. 



For as long as I've been a part of it, the Force has been a calm, endless ocean. It's always been easy to drift away, to sink into its peaceful depths. Now, though, the ocean is becoming more active. The currents are growing stronger and the tide is rising, lifting conscious awareness back to the surface more and more often.

When I first entered this state of being, it felt like floating away from gravity's pull and into the embrace of a warm bath. Naturally, in those first few moments, Obi-Wan and Master Yoda expressed their congratulations and their joy at my return to the Light Side, and I was just as glad to be reunited with them. Since then, we have once again become good friends. Sometimes we speak. Most of the time, though, there is no need for words. We are more attuned to each other and the rest of the galaxy than ever before, and knowledge and thoughts flow back and forth like water.

What Obi-Wan once said about becoming more powerful than I could possibly imagine is true - so, _so_ true. We Jedi get to enjoy the privilege of experiencing unity with all life in the galaxy, forever. Even Darth Sidious's most grandiose promises of unlimited power could never have measured up to _this._ We are a part of the living power that binds a galaxy together. It's _infinitely_ better than mere political or military power could ever be. It is calm, serene, without any hint of selfishness or the desire for control - which, I see now more clearly than I ever could before, are the path to destruction. 

How could I ever have turned away from the path of the Light? If I hadn't made the decision to turn back when I did, I would not have been granted this incredible gift. "The Force will free me," indeed! How arrogant the Sith were.

* * *

_"Grandfather."_

The word rings out, a crystal-clear summons that pierces through the ether straight to my soul - I know I am the one being addressed.

Sometimes it still seems strange to be called that. I never thought I'd be a grandfather. Then again, there was a time when I never thought I'd be a father. Ever since that first night on the Endor moon, I've always borne witness to the important moments in my children's lives. To me, they are the brightest lights in the whole galaxy, which only makes it all the more painful to see what my grandson has become.

My expanded awareness of a future that is, indeed, always in motion has hinted to me that in a universe that might have been, Han and Leia named a son after _me._ I'm glad they didn't. Obi-Wan deserves the honor more than I do. On the surface, perhaps "Ben" seems an unlikely choice, since Han knew him for only a short while and Leia not at all, except by reputation, but they both saw that his was the influence that had brought them together for the first time. In any case, their son is already mirroring my own poor life decisions far too closely for comfort without also being named after me.

Like me, young Ben went on a Dark-Side-fueled rampage and slaughtered every one of the up-and-coming generation of Jedi. Like me, he did this while dressed in all black, but before he wore a mask. Like me, it was one of the first things he did after taking up his new name and title, Kylo Ren. He would have been the first in line to claim the title of 'Darth,' had there been anyone left alive to confer it. Instead, his new master put him in charge of the Knights of Ren, an order that seems to have been founded to fill the metaphysical void left behind by the deaths of the last two Sith Lords. Apparently, even the Dark Side of the Force abhors a power vacuum.

Ben often speaks to me, and I always listen. Now, I focus on his position in physical space and manifest, invisibly, behind him.

Once again, he's at his little shrine to what I once was, gazing into the twisted, half-melted, empty-eyed visage of someone who ceased to exist more than thirty years ago. The boy hero-worships him as if he were some sort of idol, someone worthy of admiration. He's even gone so far as to create a mask for himself, just to instill fear in his subordinates, when he doesn't even need a life-support system to survive. He has _no idea_ how fortunate he is to have his health and all his natural limbs.

"Forgive me," he says quietly. "I feel it again... the call from the Light."

 _Yes! That's my love for you that you feel, you fool!_ I think. I want to shout this at him, but he's already fallen so far into the Dark Side that I doubt he could hear me even if I tried to speak or appear to him.

"Supreme Leader senses it."

_I know how you feel. I've walked the path you're on. Your new master is using you for your power. Come back to the Light, Ben. Please._

"Show me again the power of the darkness, and I'll let nothing stand in our way. Show me, Grandfather, and I will finish what you started."

That helmet he's talking to was constantly exposed to the power of the Dark Side for twenty-three years. Echoes of my anger, hatred and fear still linger around it, even a generation later. Much to my dismay, Ben has figured out how to touch this residual dark energy and draw on it for strength. Thank destiny Vader's old lightsaber met the same fate as Sidious the last time it saw battle; it would have held even more of the power of the Dark Side than the helmet does. Because the Force is essential to the construction process, every lightsaber, Jedi- or Sith-forged, is deeply connected to its creator through the Force.

Ben's greatest desire is that someday, he will become as strong as Darth Vader was. It breaks my heart to see my grandson idolizing all the mistakes I made, all the horrific things I did. If I still could, I would cry. Instead, my sorrow ebbs away into the void, creating waves in the ocean of the Force.

"Be more mindful of your feelings, you must, Anakin," Master Yoda rebukes me. "Disturbing our rest, you are."

"Perhaps we should let him have this moment," says another presence - one that is immediately familiar, yet one I have not felt since... well, since _he_ became one with the Force, which was a lifetime ago now, but which I remember with a sudden, painful clarity.

I turn my attention away from the material plane and young Ben. I can't believe what I've just heard. " _Master Windu?_ " I address this new presence. "After all this time... after _everything_ that's happened... you're not only speaking to me, you're defending me?"

"Anakin..." His presence exudes compassion. "Obi-Wan filled me in on what I've missed. I know what happened between you, your son, and Sidious at Endor. What you did proved beyond a doubt that love between family members can be a powerful ally. Now I can see that it was shortsighted of us to forbid all attachments. If it means anything now, I'm sorry for the way I treated you when you were young. Preventing you from following your heart and your passions was a mistake."

That does mean something, coming from him. "Thank you, Master," I answer. "I forgive you. And likewise, if it means anything now, I'm sorry for everything I ever did as Darth Vader. And for cutting off your hand."

"I know you are, and you're forgiven. I sense your love for your family has only grown stronger since the Sith were destroyed. That's why the fall of Ben Solo troubles you so much, isn't it?"

"Exactly. I know that if it hadn't been for the love between me and my son, I wouldn't be here talking to you now. The one thing I want now is to guide my grandson back to the Light Side, the way Luke did for me."

"A noble cause. You have my blessing."

"Thank you, Master Windu. There's something else I don't understand. Why haven't you spoken to any of us until now?"

"There has been an awakening."

"Yes, Master. I've felt it, too."

"It awakened me from my rest. The Force is more active than it has been in my lifetime. I sense something significant will happen soon."

"Agreed."

* * *

Not long after this, something very significant happens. When Rey first touches my - and Luke's - lightsaber, her untrained but strong Force potential and the weapon's connection to its past owners resonate with each other, at a frequency that creates an _incredibly_ powerful surge of Light energy that pulls all of us into a whirlpool of visions. Moments from my own past swirl around me: the moment I finished building it (one of my favorite memories from that period of my life), the countless battles I fought with it in the Clone Wars, culminating in the death of Count Dooku... then the beginning of the Great Jedi Purge and the duel on Mustafar (why must I be tormented by these memories now?)... then the duel on Cloud City, many years after that... and finally, what can only be a vision of a future wielder using it to triumph over the forces of evil once again.

The vision fades into the present as suddenly as it appeared. Obi-Wan had his own, similar vision, too, during which he even spoke to Rey, telling her that these are her first steps. I think - I _hope_ \- he's right about that. I am certain that Maz Kanata is right about one thing: destiny, and the Force, are calling to Rey. I'm still frustrated that young Ben has fallen into making so many of the same mistakes I made, but Rey's clear Force potential fills me with a new surge of hope.

I'm a little disappointed, but not really surprised, when she runs away. She did only learn that the Force really exists a little while ago, after all. I have a feeling that lightsaber will find its way back to her eventually.

* * *

If there's ever been a perfect time for a new hero to arise, this is it. Starkiller Base's main weapon has fired, annihilating an entire system of worlds.

The sheer number of voices that are suddenly silenced, the amount of life-force that is extinguished, is absolutely _staggering._ The chaos, terror, and loss are powerful enough to overwhelm my sense of self. For a few moments, there is nothing but the fear and anger created by this act of evil. They're pulling me under again... _No..._

"Anakin?"

"Obi-Wan..."

"Anakin! Come back!"

My best friend throws me a bright lifeline of ethereal energy. I take hold, and he pulls me back from the darkness. I resurface in the realm of the Light, tremendously relieved. The wound in the Force from the massive loss of life is still raw, fresh, and painful, but at least I'm back with my friends, where I belong.

"Thank you," I say. "You're the best friend anyone could ask for."

"Any time, my brother."

"...Wow." I look back at the metaphysical black hole that has just been torn open. "Was _that_ what Alderaan was like... for you?"

Obi-Wan nods. "Yes. It wasn't anywhere near that powerful, though. It gave me quite a headache, but there is a limit to how much you can sense while you still have a material body. This time, we're both getting it completely unfiltered."

" _Man._ I had no idea. I'm so sorry, Obi-Wan."

"I know. I'm just glad you're all right."

I smile weakly, still trying to process what just happened. It's amazing, and horrifying, to think that Vader and Sidious took _pleasure_ in delivering blows like this one, fed on the fear and anger that they created. The realization of just how horrible the destruction of Alderaan was has only now really hit me for the first time. That was part of what pulled me back into the shadows for that brief moment.

An insight comes to me: With this act, the latest generation of followers of the Dark Side have tilted the balance of the Force in favor of fear, anger, and hatred again, and away from peace, justice, and harmony. It's a big galaxy, whose true scope only those who have left the material plane can appreciate firsthand. Now I can see that it takes a very powerful act of good, or of evil, to tilt the balance in either direction.

Once, I succeeded in bringing balance to the Force by committing just such an act of good - destroying Sidious and sacrificing my own life to save Luke's. Now, that balance is threatened once again, but a new generation of heroes is rising to meet the challenge of maintaining it. I decide that, just as Obi-Wan did years ago, I will do what I can to guide and encourage them.

* * *

This great disturbance in the Force is followed all too soon by another - one that strikes me as sharply and deeply as if the lightsaber had been driven straight into my own heart. The shock of Han Solo's death comes to me through my connections to both Leia _and_ young Ben - he is coldly satisfied, yet still conflicted (at least he's willing to admit it!), while she is utterly devastated. The collision of Light and Dark makes me cry out in anguish and pain, an echo of what I felt when I first learned that Padmé had died.

I want to go to Leia, appear to her and comfort her, but I am too paralyzed by the loss to summon the energy. Whatever else Han Solo may have been, he _was_ my son-in-law, and I had come to love him almost as much as my own children.

I am amazed to see that even through her tears, Leia's resolve to find her brother and bring him back only deepens and strengthens. She has suffered more and greater personal losses in her lifetime than most people ever have or will, and yet, even with all that pain to bear, not once has she even been tempted to turn to the Dark Side. She gets her willpower, her resolve, and her essential goodness _entirely_ from her mother, and they're all just as powerful as her mother's, if not even more so. Even as we share in the same grief, I am profoundly proud of my daughter.

We also share the same desire to find Luke, but I can't help her there, either. Luke doesn't _want_ to be found. I am aware that he's alive and have a general idea of what sector of space he's in, but I cannot pinpoint his position, as I can with Leia and Ben. He has cleverly used the Force to set up a sort of cloaking shield that obscures his presence. 

"Reminds me of... me," Obi-Wan remarks. "That was how I stayed hidden on Tatooine, especially early on. And... I blamed myself for what became of _my_ most promising apprentice, too. Much like you know what young Ben is going through, I know what Luke is going through."

"You're a good man, Obi-Wan Kenobi," I answer reassuringly. "You were instrumental in making everything right."

We both share the same sense that at the right time, someone will draw Luke back onto destiny's great stage, but it won't be either of us. We've already fulfilled our roles. Now, there are others whom the will of the Force is gradually leading into the spotlight.

* * *

That happens much sooner than I ever would have imagined. The Skywalker lightsaber blazes to life, ready for its first true duel in many years. 

"That lightsaber. It belongs to me," says Ben.

 _It could, if you would turn back,_ I think. He still cannot hear or sense me.

"Come and get it!" snarls the young man wielding it. In the Force, he is ablaze with the will to defend the good, although he doesn't quite understand his connection to the Force just yet. Still, it is strong enough to allow him to pose a challenge to young Ben's abilities. I am impressed by his spirit and tenacity. _There is hope for the Light Side yet._

Finally, Ben strikes his opponent with a disarming blow, then attempts to summon the lightsaber with the Force - but when it comes free from the snow, it flies straight past him and directly into Rey's hand instead. The Force sings _rightness_ around us, although all Rey knows is that this man has hurt her friends, and she must fight back. She charges forward to continue the duel.

For someone whose only previous experience in self-defense has been with a staff, Rey holds her own amazingly well with a lightsaber. I do not intervene; she acts entirely on her own instinct and intuition, which just happen to be closely attuned to the Force. I am, however, silently cheering her on.

I mentally cringe when Kylo Ren invites her to become his apprentice ( _yet another_ of the same stupid mistakes I made), and am relieved when Rey ignores him. She is wise and has a good heart.

She and her opponent manage to fight each other to a standstill before the destruction of the base cuts their battle short. Good; she will live to fight another day, and Ben still has a chance to be redeemed.

* * *

After the battle is over, Leia is there to see Rey off on her journey. "May the Force be with you," she says. She doesn't know it, but I am already keeping a metaphorical eye on Rey. She has proven just how much potential she has. Not only that, but I'm accompanying her on her journey anyway because I would like to see my son again, if only as an unseen observer.

I wait for Rey to come out of hyperspace in the general area where I know Luke is. When she does, I follow her descent and landing, not allowing her or Luke to sense my individual presence. I know I can count on Luke to make the right decision without my help.

They say nothing when they finally meet in person. She made it here, and she has the Skywalker lightsaber. No words are necessary for Luke to agree to train Rey as a Jedi.

In this moment, I feel nothing but pure joy, so powerful that it completely overwhelms my sorrow over Ben and the pain of all the destruction I've witnessed lately. _Get out there and finish what I started, Rey,_ I think. _The real me, not Darth Vader. Bring balance back to the Force. Rebuild the Jedi Order. Protect the New Republic. Maybe even free all the slaves._ Childish, perhaps, but the same joy I felt as a little child when I learned I was to become a Jedi has returned in a way I never thought possible.

Rey perceives all this only as a sense of support, of encouragement to continue on this path. That's enough for now. I will appear to her, Luke, and Leia if and when they need my guidance, and I will always be with them.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the new and improved version of the fic I originally posted to my Tumblr earlier this year. The series of which this story is a part will be somewhat open-ended; I already have the next part planned and partially written, and I might continue to add to it as the current main Star Wars storyline continues to unfold.


End file.
